Violet and Mary, Smarta and Bernie

The story of my dogs and how they've impacted my lives. And the cats I've come to love.

Mary was the first dog I've ever had. She was a terrier mutt. I got her when I was about six upon my sister's begging to my mother. My father had no idea he would soon be getting a big Father's Day surprise. When he came home he was fuming. About an hour later, he came downstairs and Mary walked straight up to him and started scratching at his pant leg. he picked her up and held her in his palm. He kissed her little head. It was the most adorable thing ever. He loved her from that point forward.

When I was about ten or eleven, I went over to my friend's house. When I got back Mary was laying on her dog bed and wouldn't get up. I was scared to death and called my mom over. She told me an insane story. My dad had been burning years old alcohol in the fire pit in our backyard and Mary had gotten into. MY DOG WAS HUNGOVER!! At first I was upset but then my dad explained that the vet had said she would be fine in a few days.

When I was in the sixth grade, we got a beautiful little Australian Shepherd, Violet.I remember when she was just a few months old, she would hide under your legs and peek her head through them as if playing Peek-A-Boo. She was so tiny that my friends thought she was a doll toy. Over the next month or two, she grew and grew and grew. She was huge! When she jumps up now, she can rest her front legs on your shoulders. It's like a big bear hug.

About a month ago, I was house-sitting at my neighbor's house. They had a precious black cat named Bernie. He'd climb up your shoulder and perch like a parrot. He was so adorable! I cat-sat him for two weeks. On the Monday of the second week, I went over to check on him and when I had got back home, my mother was standing at the kitchen counter with an odd look on her face. She looked at me and said "Mary's dead." When you have a dog for so long, you don't even think about the possibility of it dying. I couldn't believe it. I thought she was playing some horrible trick on me. But then I remembered that she'd been peeing and pooping in the house, which she had never really done before. She was also getting into things and eating things that weren't food. I stood at the counter and cried for a few minutes. Her ashes are now kept in our living room with a card that the veterinarian sent us. They loved Mary, she was a favorite of theirs. 

Violet became much more quiet after Mary died. She wasn't as active and, at first, wasn't eating. She eventually got over that and back to normal. She just requires a lot more attention now. 

My neighbors across the street have a sweet cat named Smarta. She's an outdoor cat and likes to walk around a lot. Our front doorstep gets a lot of sun and she likes to lay on the steps and sun bathe. I love going out and seeing her and petting her. She comes by pretty often and will even sit on top of my dad's car and meow loudly until I come outside sometimes. I will admit, that on the days she doesn't visit, I miss her.

All of these animals have had a great impact on me. They've taught me about love and how to care for living things. It's amazing how they can sense your emotions as well. If I've had a bad day, any of them can cheer me up. They'll nestle into me and the cats will rub up against my back or legs and all will be forgotten. My stress and anxiety melts away. I love all of them and am grateful for being able to have these relationships with them.

Reviews

[barleygirl]

Altho I love your mix of all these pets & you did a great job of including just a few details, but all memorable details well-described . . . . in the end, I think each one of these pets deserves a whole little story of his/her own! *smile* Really, tho, I understand why you wanted to show the whole picture of a life with all these pets. You did a great job of letting us FEEL each pet as you did.